Back to the Final ’90s Countdown, with the next in line of the one-vote receivers:
Optic Nerve (Drawn & Quarterly, 1995-2015)
Now here’s a comic where I read every gosh-darn issue, unlike some of thge other entries in this particular series of posts. Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve had its origins in a series of self-published mini-comics in the first half of the 1990s. …Which, okay, I lied, I hadn’t read the mini-comics, but can easily at any time, which I’ll get into in a sec.
Optic Nerve, at least the Drawn & Quarterly run, always sort of struck me as a quieter, more melancholy Dan Clowes, with stories that are only sporadically autobiographical, and often very slice-of-life tales. Very emotional at times, often sad, always affecting.
There are a number of reprints for these comics, including (as I noted) the original minis, which can be read in a book titled 32 Stories. There is also a boxed set of replicas of the seven individual minis called the 32 Stories Optic Nerve Box Set.
Of the Drawn & Quarterly series, there are four collections: Sleepwalk and Other Stories, Shortcomings, Summer Blonde, and Killing and Dying. Of interest is an additional book called Q & A, in which Tomine answers questions about his work and career. These are of..sporadic availability from the main distributors for most comic shops, but those stores that have set up accounts with more general distributors may have better luck.
Honestly, I was surprised to discover Optic Nerve came to an end as long ago as 2015, but Tomine’s done more than just that series. There was his humorous collection Scenes from an Impending Marriage, Scrapbook: Uncollected Work 1990-2004, New York Drawings, and most recently, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, where he relates tales of his life in the cartooning business.
Really one of the top boks of the “autobio” genre from the period, of which there were many, even if that element was only occasionally present. Well worth tracking down and visiting if you haven’t before…and worth revisiting if it’s been a while.
I read this when they came out, I agree that they were a quieter take on the familiar semi auto graphical/ slice of life tales being peddled by the likes of Clowes, Seth etc. I remember them perhaps having less of a ‘bite’ overall – and the thing is, even having read all the Optic Nerve issues he put out, I’m hard pressed to remember any of the particular stories, unlike, say, Clowes Ghost World stories. I must have liked them well enough at the time to keep picking them up.
What I think set Tomine apart is that he emerged as possibky the first modern comics creator who in no way displayed roots in underground or alternative (RAW, free weekly) styled comics, let alone traditional commercial comics. As such, I think he was overhyped by TCJ types, but that wasn’t his fault. Good comics, and he developed into makjng great work as time went on.
One of my favourite comics. It was a title I considered voting for (it could have made it to the two-vote ranking), but decided to go with my first choice. I was the sole voter for Puma Blues on the ‘80s Countdown and wanted to be with the popular kids in the ‘90s.
Loved Adrian Tomine’s work and still do. At the time, I connected with Tomine (and Seth) more than Clowes, their work felt more authentic emotionally to me. It wasn’t until Ice Haven (2001) that I started holding Clowes in the same esteem.
Adrian Tomine’s work always comes off as straightforward, even when many of his Optic Nerve had ambiguous endings and subtle plot beats. His drawing style isn’t “plain,” necessarily, but it’s stylized in a manner that leans closer to realism than his contemporaries. I associate Tomine’s work with melancholy, but he’s good with humor, too.
I loved Optic Nerve. After Brian Bendis recommended the comic in a letters column of his, I found Sleepwalk… and it clicked for me. For the next few years, I bought the series in singles. Due to its quality and sporadic release dates, each new issue felt like an event. I dropped off sometime in the mid’00s, but picked up the trades collecting issues I missed. Tomine’s work is still an automatic purchase for me.
I read some Optic Nerve back in the day. I don’t remember much about the stories, but I’ve always marveled at his linework. It’s so precise and — not delicate, exactly — sensitive? shapely? Anyway, gorgeous artwork.